How much did you pay for your horses?

[texenstar]

I paid 10,000 euros for my dressage mare, which at the time was roughly £8000. She has definitely been worth every penny! And I paid about 30,000AED for my retrained arab ex racer in Dubai which was roughly £4000 at the time. Again, worth his weight in gold!

It's interesting seeing what everyone else paid for their horses but at the end of the day no price is too expensive (in theory) if it is your dream horse and they are safe and sane (mostly )!

 

[ihatework]

I got a 6yo Dutch gold horse, who had won PN & completed Novice, with model looks for free. I still have him aged 20.

I've had a few cheap ones in the 1.5-2.5k range that I've sold on
I spent 5k on a 4yo 15.2hh mongrel who turned out to be medically crocked (but who would have been good had he not been croc)

And more recently been involved in competition horses that have involved higher sums, some of which have been under shared ownership.

 

[LHIS]

£1000 for a 5 yo pb Welsh gelding. Gorgeous temperament, forward going and will be bombproof with a bit more work. Love him.

 

[MargotC]

£600 for the Standardbred
£3200 for the ride and drive Dole Gudbrandsdal (the heavier Norwegian native draft)

For what they were... bargains.

 

[ElleSkywalker]

About 1500 for all five of mine put together

 

[RoyalSapphire]

Bit of a nosey post haha but just out of interest how much did you pay for them? I have just bought Hattie a 7yo cob 15.2hh for £500, passed her vetting with flying colours but she is a project to bring on after being out of work for a year.

was she from clip clop?

 

[RoyalSapphire]

first one, Saffy RIP, £250. She was amazing!
Just bought new one, Scarlet, £1200

 

[Ddraig_wen]

Most at £950 Inc delivery and least £0.

 

[atropa]

Absolutely stunning and well bred Belgian WB mare, 16.1, early teens, had BSJA'd with previous owner but been out of work for a few years - £1750, probably spent at least another £2k on her in tack/equipment (first horse) etc but worth every single penny and I'd spend it all again in a heartbeat.
She's turning out to be my horse of a lifetime already which is unfortunate as I have a lot of life left ahead of me.

 

[Woolly Hat n Wellies]

I paid £1100 for mine. He was a 14 year old badly in need of reschooling and I got his bridle thrown in with him (never mind that the bit browband and neckstrap were already mine!) His previous owner had bought him for £1000 the year before but only rode him a handful of times, and I fell for him hard. She tried to charge me £3000 for him because I'd taken him to intro dressage and unaf clear round jumping. I am a mug, but I love him to bits.

My 13hh 8 year old unbroken companion was £200, and Graham the colt was an unexpected BOGOF, so free!

 

[AdorableAlice]

This thread is highlighting a few things to me.

The first one is how popular and useful the lower end horse actually is - I am not being rude here, I have two !, but the ease of buying a horse very cheaply is what fuels bin end breeder/dealers. My low end horse is lucky to be alive, he just happened to be seen by the right person who wanted to give him a chance and who knew someone - me! - soft enough to give him a home. He was lucky, thousands and thousands are not and lead a dire life.

Secondly the breeding of all round useful and fair quality horses really is a case of 'fools breed horses for rich people to ride'. Again no offence intended and yes I have bred one using a very nice stallion. This type of horse is the 3 -5k job as a 3 year old who goes on to be successful, but it has cost 95% if not far more of the sale price to get, rear and sell the foal. With a bit of luck the breeder gets mentioned in the show catalogue in the future.

The mid market horses, £10,000 plus specifically bred for a discipline and capable of impressive results IF he lands in the right hands.

The top end horse (not TB's) that will end up in the right hands and the price is not relevant.

And my mate who hunts a TB that went for a million, cost a fortune to train, and couldn't win an argument let alone a race. Bargain hunter though at £250, proving what Cortez has mentioned. They are only worth what someone will pay for them.

The horse below was advertised and sold in 2004, to new owners in America. They wanted what the Americans term a 'Hunter Jumper', which is a horse of top quality conformationally/movement plus the scope to jump a reasonable track. I suppose the Hoy's worker crossed with the Hoy's show hunter would sum the type up.

This horse was a stallion when sold and in addition to being the correct type was also competing medium. He passed the vet. He was a 9 year old. Between selling and shipping he cosmetically injured himself and the sale fell through.

Have a guess how much he had been sold to the american purchaser for.

He was subsequently gelded and I bought him in 2005, complete with his cosmetic injury. I paid 9k which included his made to measure Jaguar dressage saddle and bridle and his wardrobe of rugs. He has taken us to places most can only dream off and is now retired and much loved. In reality I actually paid 4k for him as the balance was made up from the insurance money off his predecessor who I had lost from colic a few months before.

 

[DirectorFury]

[...]
The horse below was advertised and sold in 2004, to new owners in America. They wanted what the Americans term a 'Hunter Jumper', which is a horse of top quality conformationally/movement plus the scope to jump a reasonable track. I suppose the Hoy's worker crossed with the Hoy's show hunter would sum the type up.

This horse was a stallion when sold and in addition to being the correct type was also competing medium. He passed the vet. He was a 9 year old. Between selling and shipping he cosmetically injured himself and the sale fell through.

Have a guess how much he had been sold to the american purchaser for. [...]

Given the insane amounts of money that the Americans spend on H/J horses I'd say around $70k. I follow a US H/J forum and they are mostly of the opinion that you can't compete successfully at anything above local level unless your horse was $50k+ and you have the 'right' sort of tack ($6.5k for a saddle anyone?). Crazy .

 

[AdorableAlice]

Given the insane amounts of money that the Americans spend on H/J horses I'd say around $70k. I follow a US H/J forum and they are mostly of the opinion that you can't compete successfully at anything above local level unless your horse was $50k+ and you have the 'right' sort of tack ($6.5k for a saddle anyone?). Crazy .

All the gear and no idea then !

 

[eahotson]

My present one is a welsh section D.Bought as a nine year old to restore my shattered confidence.He cost £4.800 mother naked and worth every penny.Will never be for sale.

 

[windand rain]

Nothing as I bred her but she cost over £3500 before she was a week old kept for 7 years costed correctly she is £11,000 but is probably not worth what it cost to breed her.
Her mum was 900 and the dartmoor £100 both bought as foals so yes I can see where the saying comes from

 

[AppyLover]

I paid 850 + delivery for my Appaloosa X Cob Gelding at 18 months old last year

 

[Llanali]

I too have had my eyes opened by this thread like AA, I am astounded by how little some of you have paid for some of your horses. No wonder the middle breeders and producers are struggling as it seems to me that prices are being driven down in some parts probably by increasing numbers of horses and a flooded lower end market and a rise in the cost of horse keeping.

My parents paid £500 for a 14.1hh Welsh type mongrel pony that knew not one jot about dressage, had minimal manners and would not hack alone. This was 1998, he was however a hunt master's daughter's hunting pony and my god could he go and jump.

In 2002 we bought a 6 year 15.3hh TB X Connemara who again had no dressage but who was a babe to handle and jumped like the Irish stag she was. She was tricksy and sharp and never went round but nursed me aged 15 round affiliated jumping and BE to pre novice, admittedly with a veritable cricket score in the dressage.

She was sold in 2007 for £10k to pay for my uni. She really, really jumped.

I bought my current mare as sat on but not really riding away for £4k just off the boat as a 4 year old. She has breeding I love (ghareeb) and has been my star. Safe enough to ride pregnant, she doe elementary dressage, has done newcomers SJ, done RC champs horse trials. She taught my non horsey husband to ride and had him doing a stay away BS show in 4 months, where he got placed in the 95cm grand Prix.
She hunts in a snaffle, she whips in, she does gate duty. She kicks at feed time and gets stressed without daily turnout.
I briefly considered selling when someone asked me if they could buy her. I couldn't replace her so o didn't sell, but we discussed a figure around £9k.

I bought a 12hh 12 year whizz kid pony for my toddler this summer for £1100. He's safe and we love him, so I dont feel we over paid at all. I have never felt that I have over paid for any horse, to me they have all been worth it.

 

[AdorableAlice]

I paid 850 + delivery for my Appaloosa X Cob Gelding at 18 months old last year

Big loss for the breeder on this one. Stud fee/vet care, keep the mare for 11 months. Foal mare jab foal, feed mum and foal, wean foal, feed/keep foal for 12 months.

 

[AppyLover]

Big loss for the breeder on this one. Stud fee/vet care, keep the mare for 11 months. Foal mare jab foal, feed mum and foal, wean foal, feed/keep foal for 12 months.

I don't think she Bred to sell really she has the room knowledge facilities etc and loves doing it from what I can gather she doesn't really advertise to sell its more you have to know about them and go visit etc. Ted was also a surprise the lady had no idea Ted's mum was in foal when she sold her to her friend and then one day Ted came along

 

[ThePiebaldMoomin]

£800 for my 15.1 Cob X unknown Mare she fell into my lap, I wasn't even looking for a new horse at the time but best thing that ever happened. She is 11 ex ridding school horse from what we can gather and has been the perfect confidence giver I need to get back into ridding after being out of the world for so long. I don't want to event so she is my perfect little happy hacker.

 

[AdorableAlice]

I don't think she Bred to sell really she has the room knowledge facilities etc and loves doing it from what I can gather she doesn't really advertise to sell its more you have to know about them and go visit etc. Ted was also a surprise the lady had no idea Ted's mum was in foal when she sold her to her friend and then one day Ted came along

Ted's can be very surprising ! I think we need a picture of your Ted.

 

[AppyLover]

Ted's can be very surprising ! I think we need a picture of your Ted.

Heres the not so little trouble maker hehe his passport said he was meant to make 15'2 but he is around 16 hands at the moment at 2 years and 9 months

Taken this morning (My dad and family seeing him again after almost a year apparently he is huge now compared to Jan this year)

A couple months back with his girlfriend

 

[bluedanube]

Cheapest £1 and most expensive € 23,000

 

[kathantoinette]

HW cob (age 12ish) , my first ever (!) horse, bought in 2007 for £3250.

MW cob (age 6), my second horse, bought in 2012 for £3250.

Both have been very safe horses which I had the privalege of riding for some time before purchase - I don't think you can put a price on that.

 

[southerncomfort]

Well bred registered Welsh B, 13 yrs old - £850.00 (13 years ago).

Registered Welsh cob X, 14 years old - £1000.00 (18 mths ago).

Unregistered Welsh cob, 22 years old - Free! Given to me by my Dad who was retiring and giving up horses.

 

[SecretAgentBilly]

I bought my ex racehorse for £1500 in summer and then sold him last month for £950 - he was completely unsuitable for me and not as described. However I think I over paid in the first place and looking at some of the prices others have paid for their horses confirms my suspicions.. Apart from him I have only ever loaned - however one of my loan horses was sold for £4000 a few years ago, he was at best a riding club all rounder but not particularly great at anything. I have no idea how they got so much for him!

 

[HufflyPuffly]

Finding this very interesting as I have a three in the low-mid range I thought but maybe just low .

First horse 12year old PBA show horse in 2006 £1500.
Worth every single penny and then some, never got to the very top but is everything to me.

Then Topaz 6 year old Freisian X around the £5000 mark in 2009.
Bonkers but brilliant, we have SJ to a meter, evented to about 85cm, hunter trialled, hunted, fun rides and now do BD competing elementary, will go out next year at medium and all being well should go to PSG.

Then baby Skylla, bought 2014 aged 2.5 another Freisian x Hackney with a touch of Holstien, £500.
Easy enough so far, backed well and is a doll to handle. Had been to a couple of shows in hand and placed, should make a nice all rounder but time will tell.

 

[Theocat]

one of my loan horses was sold for £4000 a few years ago, he was at best a riding club all rounder but not particularly great at anything. I have no idea how they got so much for him!

£4k is, IMO, about right for a general riding club all rounder, assuming he was a safe hack.

I paid £3000 for my tb x connemara in 2011 - I probably overpaid, but I knew the horse well and knew he was safe. It's not the seller's fault I failed to realise his potential

I've just had an offer of £3,750 accepted on something that I want for safe hacking, dressage up to elementary and RC jumping. I think that's a very good price for a horse that can do that job.

Given what it costs to produce horses, it's staggering what some people have paid. I do worry we'll end up with no one breeding or producing decent horses for amateurs to have fun on, and I certainly couldn't afford 10k for my bumbling purposes!

 

[Deltaflyer]

I paid £300 for my first horse, and Arab X welsh unbroken 3YO

£2500 for an ISH mare who had awful confo but a lovely nature.

£4500 for a stunning ISH 8yo who turned out to be a lazy git at SJ comps but great fun the rest of the time.

My current boy whose my perfect horse £3750. Connie cross registered as an ISH and worth every penny to me.

 

[milliepops]

first pony £1k - 20-odd years ago that was quite a lot! One of those mother's dream ponies though, been there & done it all.
Downhill all the way since then - 2nd horse £900
(followed by 2 loans)

Then Millie (costs me £60 per year in borrowers fees to HAPPA, so £660 so far )
Then Kira £2

If I can carry on in this vein then I'm aiming to get paid to take the next one on... :lol: